Of Candy Canes & Mistletoe, Snowflakes & Sugar Plums
by Cocacoriola
Summary: A collection of Christmas one-shots.
1. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

**Meet Me Under the Mistletoe**

"I can't wait for Christmas," Alice Marshall said excitedly, her dark blue eyes glowing with pleasure. "Frank's been teasing me about my present for ages; it'll be nice to finally know what it is he's getting me."

Alice's best friend, Marlene McKinnon, sighed. "You're so lucky you've got Frank," she told Alice. "I wish I had a boyfriend to get me presents."

"You would," the third member of their group, Lily Evans, informed her, "If you weren't so picky."

"I'm not picky!" Marlene protested. "It's not my fault none of the boys here meet my standards."

Lily smiled. "Your standards are impossible to meet."

"They are not!"

"They are," Alice said, fixing her shoulder-length black hair in the bathroom mirror. They had a short break between classes, and were spending it in the bathroom so Marlene and Alice could fix themselves up. Lily, who always wore her long red hair down, in the same way, and didn't wear much makeup, found these trips to be rather boring. She leaned against the sink and watched her friends reapply their makeup. Secretly, she had to agree with Marlene – Alice was lucky to have Frank. Lily hadn't had a boyfriend since they're fourth year, and was a little jealous of what Alice had.

The school bell sounded in the distance, and Lily grabbed her bag. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

The three of them walked down the hall to their last morning class, Charms, which was Lily's favorite. It was her best subject, Potions at a close second. It had been in Charms that she had mastered her first spell when she was eleven. The only thing she disliked about it was that Flitwick had seated her right beside James Potter, and directly in front of Sirius Black. Sometimes Lily wondered about the wisdom of her teachers.

When Lily, Alice, and Marlene entered the classroom, James and his friends, who called themselves the Marauders, were already there. Lily took her seat beside James as the ball rang, signaling the start of class. James shot her a smile and said, "Hey, Evans."

"Potter."

"What's with the face?"

"You're annoying me," Lily said, turning her head in an attempt to ignore him. James Potter was not one for hints, however.

"All I did was say hi," he said. "You don't really give me a fair chance, do you?"

"You don't deserve one," Lily snapped. Her face was beginning to turn red like her hair, and her emerald-colored eyes glinted with anger. Why did James Potter have to spend all his time bothering _her_? There were plenty of girls who would adore having his attention, whereas Lily found it to be a burden.

"Why don't I deserve a chance, exactly?" he asked.

"Because you're annoying."

"So we circle back to the beginning," James said with a grin. No amount of insults from Lily could wipe it from his face – he was under the impression that everyone loved him.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans. Would you please be so kind as to pay attention?" Professor Flitwick asked dryly.

"Sorry, Professor," Lily said meekly. In a furious whisper, she told off James. "You _always_ get me in trouble."

"You wouldn't get in trouble if you just ignored me," James said cheekily, giving her an annoyingly innocent smile. It made Lily want to scream. Instead, she slowly and silently counted to ten before attempting to focus on what Professor Flitwick was saying about a permanent sticking charm.

"This charm is particularly useful for the caster, because they are the only ones who can get the counter-spell to work. If anyone else tried, the object would remain stuck," Flitwick explained. Lily picked up her quill to take notes.

Later that evening, Lily was fulfilling her prefect duties by patrolling the corridors. Not for the first time since Charms, her thoughts had strayed to James Potter, and his irritating crush on her. Why did she, of all people, get the misfortune of being the girl that James decided to pursue above all others?

Lily was so lost in thought that she walked right into the very thing she had learned to avoid since her third year: enchanted mistletoe. The worst part wasn't that her feet got glued to the ground so that she couldn't move, or that she would be forced to stay there until someone came along and kissed her, the only way to free someone from the enchanted mistletoe. The worst part was the person who came around the corner just after she got stuck was James Potter.

Luckily he was alone. Neither Sirius nor Remus were with him, for which Lily was grateful. He came to a halt when he saw Lily stuck under the mistletoe and laughed. "Having trouble?" he asked, amused.

"Shut up," Lily growled, her hands balling into fists. Her face began to warm up, and she knew she was blushing.

"Would you like some help?"

"Not from you," Lily answered, crossing her arms. "I'd rather stand here all night."

"Really? In the cold and dark, with no one to save you from the mistletoe? You want to be stuck here in the morning so everyone can see you and laugh about the fact that you forgot to watch where you were going?" James still looked highly amused, his hazel eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

_No_, Lily thought, _but I don't want to kiss you, either._ James took a few steps forward and said, "If you want me to help you out, just say the word."

"No thanks," Lily said, trying to sound confident, but James' words had gotten to her. She didn't want everyone to see her stuck there with no way to get herself out.

"Alright," James said casually. "If you're sure. I'll be going, then." He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked down the hallway, whistling. He had barely turned the corner when Lily's resolve broke.

"Wait!" she called.

"Yes?" James asked, sticking his head back around. Lily could tell that he was trying hard not to smile, but she ignored this and took a deep breath. She could hardly believe what she was about to do.

"I need help," Lily said in a small voice, hating herself for admitting it.

"What do you want me to do about it?" James came back around the corner, and stopped three feet in front of her. He allowed himself a small smile, and his mouth twitched like he was trying not to laugh.

"I hate you," Lily said angrily. "Just help me get out."

"How can I help you if I don't know how you want me to help you?" He waited a second, then said, "What do you want me to do?"

Lily hugged her arms tighter to her chest, then threw her hands up in exasperation and let out a curse that made surprise flit across James' face. "Just kiss me, dummy."

James didn't need to be told twice. He crossed over to her in a single stride, then paused. Instead of grabbing her roughly, like she had expected, James laid his hands carefully on her wait and pressed his lips gently against hers, increasing the pressure as the seconds ticked past. Surprise coursed through Lily and she responded by placing her hands on his shoulders. She had been kissed only a few times before, but none of them felt like this kiss. It was different in a way she couldn't describe, and unbearably good. James Potter was a good kisser, and Lily couldn't even enjoy it because she was supposed to hate him.

Sensing that the kiss was about to end, Lily decided to make the most of it and go back to hating him when it was over. She moved her hands from his shoulder and put her arms around his neck instead, one hand catching his hair, which turned out to be softer than she expected. She pressed herself closer to him, and she could feel his astonishment, but he reacted so quickly that Lily wondering if he had been hoping for this outcome.

Somehow, they ended up on the floor, signaling that Lily had been freed from the spell binding her to the mistletoe. Finally, breathless, Lily pulled away from James, and they lay on the ground, panting. When he was able to speak, James said, "You seemed to be enjoying yourself just now." Lily could hear the smirk in his voice.

"And you weren't?" Lily retorted.

"I never said I wasn't," James said, rolling over and propping himself up on his elbow. "I enjoy anything that involves you." Lily flushed, but it was nothing compared to how red she turned when he added, "You're a good kisser, by the way." He gave her another one of his annoying smiles, although this time it was annoying for a completely different reason. Instead of being annoyed with James, she was annoyed with herself for the way her stomach twisted at his compliment. She did _not_ like James.

"You're not too bad yourself," she said shortly, getting up and brushing the dust from her robes. She tried to hide her blush as she said, "If you tell anyone about this, I'll make sure you're in the hospital for a week."

"My lips are sealed," James said, smiling still.

. . .

For the next few days, all Lily could think about was her kiss with James – which she hadn't told anyone about, especially Alice and Marlene, who would have had a field day. The kiss had left her so breathless and bewildered; she didn't know what to think. She couldn't even describe it to herself, let alone someone else. She also had a lot of conflicting emotions about it. On the one hand, she hated James, and therefore the kiss was nothing. On the other hand, it had highly improved her opinion of him, and she couldn't deny that she liked it.

The other problem was that Lily wanted to kiss him again. There were several flaws there, in that she was having enough trouble admitting to herself that she was now physically attracted to James. It would be worse having to tell him that she wanted to kiss him, with her stubborn pride at work. The worst bit of all, though, would be having to explain to everyone why she was kissing James if anyone happened to see them.

Unable to get James and the kiss out of her head, Lily decided that she needed to try again before she could make up her mind about James. At the end of their Potions class a few days before the winter vacation, Lily tapped him on the shoulder while the rest of the class was packing up. He raised his eyebrows in wonder when he saw that it was her, and she leaned over to whisper in his ear, "I need to talk to you later."

"Alright," James said. "Where?" Lily shrugged, so he grinned and added quietly, "How about under the mistletoe?"

Lily glared at him, and felt embarrassed that James seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. How could he, though? She hadn't been acting any different lately. "Fine," she said, before turning on her heel and going to pack up her things.

Several hours later, Lily was leaning against the wall in the hall where she had gotten stuck under the mistletoe, waiting for James. The mistletoe that had trapped her before had disappeared, as it often did after a few days. She didn't have to wait long for James to show up. For a brief period, they watched each other as Lily contemplated what to say. Before she had gathered the words, James spoke, "You're confused."

Lily examined his face, and instead of answering, she said, "How do you _do_ that? It's like you can read my mind or something."

James laughed and shook his head. "Just your face. My uncle's cousin is a squib, and he became a psychiatrist. I picked up a few things from listening to him read _my_ mind whenever we have any kind of family get-together. I don't know why they invite him, he's really annoying."

Lily laughed too, and then clamped her mouth shut. "You shouldn't have kissed me."

"I should have left you there?"

"No! But... You're right, I am confused. I'm not supposed to like you, but since you kissed me, I can't stop thinking about it," Lily said.

"I have been known to have that effect," James said with an exaggerated wink to let her know that he was simply joking. He became serious again, and said, "Stop thinking about how much you hated me before and tell me what you feel right now."

Lily paused for a moment to think this over, and she closed her eyes. "I feel like I want to kiss you."

"Is that all?"

She shook her head. "But the rest of my thoughts are private." She opened her eyes again and smiled at him. "It's weird how the littlest thing turned everything around and upside down. Last week I hated you, and now I'm having trouble focusing on anything but wanting to kiss you." As soon as she finished talking, James grabbed her arm, pulled her towards him, and kissed her. This was rougher than before, but no less pleasant. Without even thinking, Lily slid her hands under his shirt and felt the smooth skin of his Quidditch-hardened chest.

When they pulled apart, Lily let out a cross between a laugh and a sigh. "Well." She didn't have to elaborate, because James understood what she meant.

"Glad you met me?" James asked mischievously, reaching out to give her hair a gentle tug.

"Maybe," Lily said, smiling as she grabbed his hand and pulled him off to find another patch of mistletoe.

**A/N: I have posted this particular one-shot before, but I took it down a couple of years ago. I decided I like it enough to put it (and a few other one-shots, along with some new ones) up again this year. Please drop me a review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Last Christmas

**A/N: Thanks to those of you that reviewed the last one-shot. :) Reviews are actually my absolute favorite part of writing fics, because I love to know what people think (especially constructive criticism) – so leave me one? :D**

**Last Christmas**

December snowflakes rained down on the grounds of Hogwarts, a sign that Christmas was fast approaching. Most of the students were excited, but one girl in particular was dreading the holiday. For Lily Evans, Christmas held the taint of heartbreak for more than one reason. The previous Christmas had been a sad one, and it wasn't something that she was able to forget easily.

Just days after her last Christmas had been the final time that Lily had seen her mother, Grace Evans, before she had been diagnosed with cancer and had passed away mere days later. Her sixth year had been stressful after that, but after having the summer to recuperate, Lily was doing better in her seventh year, more like she had before the hardship. The death of her mother had drawn Lily away from social interactions, and she barely spoke to any fellow students the first few months after Christmas vacation.

Oddly enough, Lily had found solace in someone she would have never expected – James Potter. As fellow Gryffindor sixth-years, Lily had been able to relate to James more than anyone else when he told her that he'd lost his father two summers before. For their first six year of school together, Lily had absolutely detested James. However, his kind words and his insight on what it was like to lose a loved one got the better of her, and Lily allowed herself to give him a chance.

"How do you deal with it?" she asked one evening in the Gryffindor common room after everyone else had gone to bed. If anyone else had still been around, she would have saved her question for another time, when she and James were alone.

James was quiet for a moment, then said, "It might sound awful, but I just try to forget about it. Whenever I think about him, it's almost more than I can handle, you know? I miss him a lot, but I know he'd rather see me having fun than mulling over memories of him."

Lily thought about what he had said, and then answered, "I wish I could just forget about my mum. But she and I were so close, and she's the one that raised me and took care of me for almost seventeen years. It feels like a chunk of heart was taken out when she died. Maybe that's why my chest hurts so much."

"It gets easier," James said softly, catching her eye. "It does, I promise. You just have to remember that your mum wants you to keep living your life as normally as you can."

Lily nodded, but didn't have anything else to say.

The other reason that Christmas was a sad occasion for her involved a boy that she had liked for a very long time. Lily had noticed Derek Miller, a fourth year Gryffindor, during her third year and had liked him since then. In her fifth year, she had finally worked up the courage to tell him how she felt. They dated for less than a month, which had included Christmas. As a present, Lily had made him a red and gold scarf with his initials on it to represent Gryffindor. A little cheesy, perhaps, but she hadn't been able to come up with another idea.

Derek had seemed pleased with her gift, and had given her a kiss that made her heart skip a beat. Everything was going perfectly, better than Lily had dared to hope for. At least, it went perfectly until Lily had found him kissing Melissa Jones, a Gryffindor girl that was in the same year as Derek, the very next day.

Derek had hardly even pretended to care when he explained to Lily that he and Melissa had a 'connection' and understood each other better because they were in the same year. Lily had cried silently the entire time, but Derek had made no move to comfort her. She could hardly believe that she had been so stupid, so foolish to believe that Derek really liked her. What boy _would_ like a plain bookworm?

Christmas that year would be awkward as both she and Derek were staying at school for the holidays. With so few people left at school, it would be harder to avoid him than usual. She spent most of her time in the common room hiding from Derek because she couldn't bear to see him, or have him see how wrecked she still felt. To make matters worse, Alice and Marlene were both going home for Christmas, meaning she would be alone.

Two nights before the break, Lily sat alone in front of the fire in the common room. Both Alice and Marlene had already gone to bed, as had most of the other Gryffindors. Lily had been considering going up to bed herself when James, Sirius, and Remus entered through the portrait hole, each clutching an armful of food.

"Hey, Lily," James greeted when he noticed her on the couch. Remus and Sirius added their hellos, and Lily nodded her acknowledgement.

"What's the matter?" James asked, sitting down beside her. He held a tiny orange cake out to her. "Pumpkin Pasty?"

Lily smiled despite herself and took the food he offered. "Thanks," she said. "I'm just not looking forward to the holidays, I guess."

"Why not?" James asked.

"Alice and Marlene are both going home for the holidays, but I'm not. I don't really want to, but it means I'll be alone."

"Why aren't you going home?"

"There isn't really a home to go to," she said, giving a sad smile. "My dad sold our house in January, but he hasn't found a new one yet. I stayed with my uncle over the summer, but they're going on vacation for the holidays."

"You've always got me," James informed her.

"You're not going home, either?" Lily asked in surprise.

"Nope," James said, and he didn't sound a bit sorry about it. "Mum's going to see my aunt Gertrude. I hate her, so I'm staying here."

"I'd rather stay here," Lily admitted. "I don't think I can deal with my sister on top of everything else."

"You have a sister?" Sirius interrupted, swallowing a Cauldron Cake and sitting down on Lily's other side.

"Yeah," Lily said. "She's a muggle, though. Plus, she hates me. So I don't mention her very often."

"I know how that is," Sirius said grimly. "My brother hates me. But then again, I hate him and the rest of my family, so it doesn't bother me too much."

"Petunia and I used to be best friends," Lily said sadly, recalling all the time they had spent together as little girls. "But when she found out I was coming to Hogwarts... Everything just fell apart. She's hated me ever since."

"She's just jealous," James assured her. Lily nodded as if agreeing, but she knew that Petunia wasn't jealous in the least. She was horrified that her sister had turned out to be, to use her word, a 'freak'.

When Lily finished off her Pumpkin Pasty, she said, "Thanks for the cake. I think I'm going to go to bed now."

"Good night, Lily," James said, touching her briefly on the arm. Sirius and Remus said goodnight as well, and Lily went upstairs to bed.

. . .

That Saturday, most of the Hogwarts students had left. Only seventeen still remained; Four Gryffindors, three Slytherins, six Hufflepuffs, and four Ravenclaws. The Gryffindors consisted of James, Lily, a third year girl named Jenny, and Derek. Lily and James were playing a game of exploding snap, because Lily had nothing better to do, and no one else to hang out with, when Derek approached her for the first time in almost a year.

"Hey, Lily," he said, wearing a friendly smile.

Lily ignored him and put a card down on the table. Derek was not easily deterred, and said, "So listen, I was wondering if you might be interested in... Hanging out." From the way he paused, Lily could tell that "hanging out" did not involve anything like what she and James were currently doing.

"Leave her alone," James said, examining the cards before him and then placing one down carefully.

Derek's face fell. "What are you, her boyfriend?" he sneered.

"No," James said, and then added in a mutter, "But I'd be a better one than you ever were."

"I'm sorry?" Derek asked. He had clearly heard what James had said.

"Nothing," James said, looking up from their game to give Derek a pleasant smile. "Just that I wouldn't have gone around making out with other girls behind her back." He gave a noncommittal shrug and turned to watch Lily place her own card down. Lily tried hard to repress a smile. She probably shouldn't have found this funny, but James' apparent lack of interest in the conversation combined with his needling comments was amusing.

"I didn't do anything like that," Derek growled, looking annoyed now.

"Oh that's right. You'd broken up with Lily before you starting kissing Melissa. You just forgot to mention that little detail to her," James said, looking more interested in the table than Derek as he added his next card.

Being insulted and half-ignored did not bode well with Derek. "It's really none of your business, Potter," he snapped. "Besides, Lily's over that by now."

"No, actually, I'm not," Lily said, speaking to him for the first time, her amusement dissolving almost instantly. "You really hurt me, Derek. And I don't really want to have anything to do with you anymore. So please, just go away and leave us alone."

Derek's face hardened, but he didn't say anything more. He stared at Lily for a few moments, before turning away and leaving the common room. James watched him go with an angry look. "He's a jerk," James said when the portrait had swung shut.

Lily nodded. "But I can't help missing him sometimes."

James shook his head in disbelief. "How could you miss _that_?"

"He was my first boyfriend," Lily said. "I thought it work out like it always does in books. But I was wrong. I was so stupid."

"It's not stupid to love someone," James said quietly, reaching across the table to rest his hand on her smaller one. "It's hard to forget sometimes, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't trust anyone else."

Lily let out a sigh. "I know. But I don't see why it matters, because no guys like me anyways."

"Lily," James said, sounding exasperated. "What have I been telling you for the past six years that made you think I was the most annoying person on the planet?"

"That you like me," Lily said. It dawned on her that James hadn't pestered her to go out with him since her mother had died. This only reinforced the idea that he had never been serious – but what if it was because they had bonded and become friends? He didn't have to pester her when they could hold a normal conversation. "I thought you just liked to make me angry."

James smiled. "That part _was_ pretty fun – but that's not why I said it. I told you I liked you because I meant it. I still do. Sometimes I don't think you realize just how amazing you are. You're beautiful, smart, funny, and the nicest girl I have ever met. I really mean that, and I always will." He went quiet, then added, "I don't think saying that I like you has the proper effect. I can't explain how I feel about you."

Lily gave him a scrutinizing look, which changed to curiosity as the seconds ticked by in silence. Finally, she smiled. "I guess since you've said it about a thousand times, I'll have to believe it."

It took only a few days for their friendship to grow into something more serious, and by the time classes started again, they had begun dating. James had kissed her for the first time the very next day, and Lily had found that she enjoyed it a lot. The attraction between the two of them was hard to resist, once Lily was willing to acknowledge that it existed at all. The day the rest of the school returned, Lily snuggled was into James' side as they snacked on marshmallows and discussed what reactions their new relationship would receive from their friends and the rest of the school. Alice, the first to reach the common room, nearly fell over in shock.

With James by her side, and having rekindled her friendships with Alice and Marlene to what it had once been, Lily was a lot happier than she had been only a year ago. She still missed her mother, and sometimes she still felt a pang in her chest when she thought about what Derek had done to her, but she was moving on, and it felt good.

"You're the best," Lily said one Thursday after classes, as she and James headed down to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Why is that?" James asked with a smile.

"You helped me out of that rut I was stuck in," Lily replied. "I feel so much better now."

"You just needed an extra tug," James said with a shrug, as though he'd had nothing to do with it. He was pleased, though when Lily stood on tiptoe to give him a sweet kiss. Everything had worked out well this Christmas.

**A/N: And there it is. :) Let me know what you thought! Leave me a review.**


	3. 12 Days of Christmas

**A/N: Thanks for reading the last one-shot. I hope you enjoy this one.**

**By the way, Peter has been kicked out of (most of) these, because I don't like him. I know that bugs a lot of people but, *shrug*.**

**12 Days of Christmas**

Lily Evans woke up to a flurry of snow one Monday in December, the chill in the air more obvious than usual. She snuggled under her covers for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth and dreading the cold shock she would receive when she got up to get ready for classes. Finally, she couldn't stay in bed any longer without the risk of missing breakfast and being late to class. She pushed the covers back and hurried over to her wardrobe, thankful that the Head Girl's room had been carpeted. She could only imagine how cold the stone floor felt, even through a pair of woolen socks.

After changing into her uniform and Hogwarts robes, Lily went out to the common room that she shared with the Hogwarts Head Boy, James Potter. In the past, the two of them had not gotten along well; Lily had found James extremely obnoxious and childish, even though James had claimed to be in love with her for six years and never seemed to leave her alone. Having to work together as Head Boy and Girl meant that they had to get along, and eventually they did. By mid-October, they got along as well as they could without truly being friends.

On her way out of her room, Lily almost stepped on a small box sitting on the floor in front of her door. Confused, she bent down to pick it up. The box was covered in red paper and tied with a green bow, with a tag that had her name on it. It was odd, because Christmas was still almost two weeks away. She considered waiting to open it, but curiosity got the better of her, and she pulled the lid off. Inside were twelve small chocolate hearts, each with a small lily engraved on the face of them.

Picking up one of the hearts, Lily popped the chocolate in her mouth. It was rich and delicious; the perfect kind of chocolate. "But I wonder who sent it?"

"Sent what?" James Potter was standing in the doorway to his own bedroom, watching her. His jet-black hair was a mess, as always, and his glasses were a little crooked.

"These chocolate hearts," Lily said, holding the box up. James crossed the room to examine it, peering at the lumps of chocolate through his glasses.

"Looks like someone has a secret admirer," he teased with a grin.

"How did they get it in here?" Lily asked. "No one knows the password except us, right?"

"And Alice, and Marlene, and Frank, and Sirius, and Remus," James said, ticking off the names of their friends on his hands. He shrugged, and added, "Anyone could have asked one of the house elves to drop it off, they're not hard to persuade. They're pleased to do whatever they can to help us, really."

Lily looked down at the chocolates again, and repeated, "I wonder who sent it."

James shrugged. "Coming to breakfast? I'm starved."

"You're always hungry," Lily said with a laugh. "Let's go, I'm sure Alice and Marlene are already down there, wondering where in the world I could be."

The two of them hurried down to the Great Hall and sat down with their waiting friends. James and his best friends, Sirius and Remus, often sat beside Alice, Marlene, Frank, and Lily. Even though they often chatted together, there was an obvious line between the two groups. Lily took her seat next to Marlene while James sat beside her, across from Sirius and Remus. As Lily filled her plate and was beginning to cut her sausages, James said, "Lily's got a secret admirer. Someone sent her chocolate."

"Really?" Alice asked, looking delighted. "That's so sweet!"

"Or a little weird," Marlene said, taking a bite of eggs.

Lily thought for a moment, then said, "A bit of both, really. I just want to know who sent it so I can discourage them."

"What if he's cute?" Alice asked.

Lily shrugged. "I have school to worry about."

Marlene made a face. "Oh please. You're the smartest person in our year. You have plenty of time for a boyfriend on top of homework, if anyone does. Alice and Frank are dating, and they still get all their homework done."

Lily didn't answer, but went back to eating her breakfast. James nudged her and said, "Maybe she's just embarrassed because she's never had a boyfriend before."

Lily flushed bright red. "I have so! And I'm not embarrassed."

"Oh really?" Sirius jumped in with a wolfish grin. He liked teasing Lily, because she got so angry. "When did you have this boyfriend? Because I don't seem to remember you ever dating any of the boys at this school."

Lily turned a brighter red, her skin almost the same color as her fiery locks. "It was over the summer, before sixth year," she muttered.

"And what happened?" Sirius asked, clearly enjoying himself.

Lily gave a noncommittal shrug. "I had to come to Hogwarts for almost nine months, and he found someone else to date."

"You're lying," Sirius said, examining her face carefully.

"I am not!" Lily cried, looking ready to hex him.

"Leave her alone, Padfoot," James advised, recognizing the look. "She's going to turn you into a flobberworm if you're not careful."

"I don't need your help," Lily shot at him, frustrated that she had to rely on James to get Sirius to stop teasing her.

"Of course not," James said, turning back to his own breakfast.

After classes that night, James and Lily sat together in their common room, doing homework quietly. James, who was much better at Transfiguration than Lily was, helped her master a spell they had been working on in class. In turn, Lily helped James complete his Charms assignment, which he was no good at. This was the time when they seemed to get along best—when no one else was around. When they had completed both assignments, Lily got to her feet and stretched. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, James."

"Night, Lily," he said, getting up as well. He put his school things away and disappeared into his room. Lily did the same, and changed into her warmest pair of pajamas before turning the light out and crawling into bed. She stared at the ceiling for a while, wondering again about who had sent her the chocolate hearts. She fell asleep thinking about the present.

. . .

The next morning when Lily woke up, she dressed quickly and was on her way down to the Great Hall when she found another box waiting in front of her bedroom door. She scooped it up and pulled the lid off. Inside were miniature Pumpkin Pasties. After counting them out, she discovered that there were eleven. This second present made her thoughts whirl, because how many people knew that Pumpkin Pasties were her favorite? She realized that her admirer knew her better than she thought.

Down in the Great Hall, Alice and Marlene were waiting for her, but none of the boys had made it downstairs yet. Lily was grateful that James and Sirius weren't around to tease her again, and she told her friends about the second gift. "I wonder who they're from," Lily said.

"Maybe they're from James," Alice said. "He still likes you, you know."

"What?" Lily asked, surprised. "No he doesn't. He got over that, because I told him that I wasn't interested."

Marlene and Alice exchanged looks, and Marlene shook her head. "Lily," she said slowly, "James didn't get over it. He's still really into you."

Lily reviewed all their recent encounters in her head, but didn't come up with anything suspicious. "I really don't think James likes me anymore. He doesn't act like he used to."

"Because he's gotten more mature," Alice informed her. "Besides, Lily, you'd be the last to realize if a boy liked you."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Lily demanded.

Alice didn't say anything else, but she and Marlene exchanged knowing looks again.

. . .

On the third morning, the box that Lily found in front of her door contained ten Christmas cookies, a variety of trees, bells, mistletoe, and other holiday shapes. They turned out to be quite delicious, which confused Lily even further. None of the boys she could think of even knew how to turn an oven on, let alone bake her a batch of cookies.

"More presents?" came James' voice.

"Yes," Lily answered. "But I still don't know who they're from."

"Doesn't not knowing make it more fun?" he asked.

"No," Lily said irritably. "I want to know who's sending me these presents." Really, she found the presents a little annoying – she didn't have time to deal with some annoying boy who had a crush on her. If he was anything like what she'd had to deal with when James had liked her for six years, she didn't want to have anything to do with him.

. . .

On the fourth morning came a box of butterflies – live butterflies. When Lily pulled the lid off, nine brightly colored butterflies fluttered into the air, leaving trails of glitter in their wake. For the first time, Lily liked her present. The butterflies danced across the room, creating beautiful patterns with their glitter trails. Perhaps her secret admirer wasn't as annoying as she'd thought.

Alice sighed happily when Lily told them about the fourth present. "How romantic!" she said. Then she turned on Frank and asked, "Why don't you do anything like that for me?"

"I don't know where to find magic butterflies," he said, holding his hands up as if to ward off an attack. "Besides, I already have your Christmas present planned out."

"Alright," Alice relented, before returning her attention to Lily. "I wonder if he'll ever tell you who he is?"

"Maybe," Lily shrugged. But when she thought about the butterflies, which had disappeared after an hour, she decided that maybe she didn't want to know after all.

. . .

On the fifth morning, the box that she found contained eight small rolls of paper. On each paper was a different poem, each describing her admirer's feelings for her. Each poem made Lily's stomach do a flip, and she found herself echoing Alice in her head. _How sweet_.

When she told Marlene and Alice about the poems, she refused to read them. Lily felt possessive and didn't want to share them, but keep between her and whoever had sent them. Marlene gave up after a few minutes, and Alice begged, but to no avail. After finishing her homework that night, Lily laid on her bed and read the poems over again. Her favorite poem read

_Lives are for living and I live for you._

_Dreams are for dreaming and I dream for you._

_Hearts are for beating and mine beats for you._

_Angels are for keeping. Can I keep you?_

. . .

The sixth box held seven hand-woven bracelets in it. Despite the fact that they weren't very well made, Lily loved them. Like the chocolates, each had a flower at the center, but instead of lilies, the bracelets had yellow daisies; Lily's favorite flower. Daisies reminded her of tiny suns and never failed to cheer Lily up. But when had her favorite flower ever come up in conversation with anyone other than her friends?

Lily picked a green one and tied it around her wrist before going down to breakfast. She didn't say anything about her gift, and neither Alice nor Marlene noticed the bracelet until they got to Charms, their second morning class.

"Is that from your boyfriend?" Marlene asked, pointing to it.

"He not my boyfriend," Lily said defensively, yet her cheeks burned brightly. "I don't even know who he is."

"But it's from him, right?" Alice said, stepping over to look at it. "It's cute!"

"He needs to work on his weaving, though," Marlene said.

"I think it's fine," Lily said defensively, pulling her arm away. Her feelings about her admirer had changed so much in just a few days, and Lily's heart beat increased whenever she thought about him. She spent the rest of the day wondering what he looked like and if she would like him back. He really seemed to know her, and the thought of a boy going to all the trouble to learn all her favorite things pleased her.

. . .

The seventh gift was a little different. Instead of a box, Lily found a red vase with six beautiful glass roses in it. She pulled one out and turned it every which way, awed. They must have taken a lot of work, as this sort of magic was advanced even for seventh year students. She picked the vase up and put the roses on her nightstand, stepping back to admire them before she went down for breakfast.

After eating, Lily brought Marlene and Alice to her room so they could see the roses. Even Marlene couldn't help letting out a small sigh when she saw them. "They're beautiful," she admitted. "And they won't die, so you'll be able to keep them as long as you like."

After crawling into bed that night, Lily stared at her roses until she fell asleep.

. . .

Her eighth present included five pairs of earrings: hearts, daisies, stars, squares, and just plain studs. They all seemed to be made of diamond, but she couldn't imagine someone getting her five pairs of real diamond earrings. She put the stars on, and went to the Gryffindor tower to wake Alice and Marlene up. On Sundays, everyone usually slept in, but Lily was usually up before either of her friends. They complimented her earrings immediately, and Alice complained that Frank had better be getting her something amazing.

"I'm sure he will," Lily said soothingly. "He loves you a lot, Alice."

"Besides, it's the thought that counts. Whatever he's getting you is from his heart, even if he isn't showering you with presents like Lily's admirer."

"I know," Alice admitted. "But it's a little hard not to be jealous."

"You might not be as jealous when we find out who it is," Lily joked. She was a little afraid that whoever had been giving her the gifts would turn out to be someone that she just couldn't have feelings for. But then she thought of what Alice and Marlene had told her. Maybe it was James after all. She could return his feelings easily, she was beginning to think.

. . .

The next morning brought disappointment, because there was no box waiting for her when she got up. When she and James walked back to their common room together after dinner, however, the box was waiting for her. James sat down on the couch and watched her open it. This one contained four small stuffed animals—two deer and two lions. There was a stag and a doe, and a lion and lioness. The lions were obviously because she was in Gryffindor, but Lily didn't understand the deer.

"I'm going to go find Alice and Marlene," she told James, intending to ask them their opinion on the stuffed animals. They didn't have any more ideas than she did.

"They're little couples," Alice said, sitting the stag and doe beside each other. "It's really cute. He's obviously trying to tell you that he wants you to be his girlfriend."

"I think he made that obvious a week ago," Marlene said.

"Just three more days," Alice said. "Are you nervous?"

"A bit," Lily answered. "What if he doesn't tell me who he is? What if I don't like him?"

"Don't worry," Marlene said. "I'm sure you'll like him just fine."

At her words, Lily's thoughts turned to James.

. . .

The tenth present went along with the sixth. Another vase was waiting for her when she woke up, this one with three silver lilies in it. Lily took the flowers and arranged them in the vase with the glass roses. They looked nice together, but Lily began to worry again about who her admirer was. She just couldn't seem to stop.

Since break had begun, Lily, Alice, and Marlene spent the day relaxing and discussing what Lily's final two presents might be.

"Maybe he'll give you a kitten," Alice said.

Marlene shook her head. "Pets are _not_ good presents. What if Lily was allergic to cats?"

"He knows everything about her, so he'd know if she were allergic to cats. You're not, are you?" she added to Lily.

"No, I'm not allergic to cats. But I don't think I'd want a kitten," Lily said with a smile.

"Who's getting a kitten?" Sirius asked, passing by their seats in the Gryffindor common room to join James and Remus in the corner.

"No one, nosy," Marlene said. "We're just talking about Lily's admirer."

"Oh," Sirius said. "Pets don't make good presents."

"That's exactly what I said."

"I think we're all agreed," Lily laughed, watching James from the corner of her eye. "No kittens."

. . .

On the eleventh day, Lily decided that she had found her favorite present. Inside the box, this one purple with a blue ribbon, were two silver necklaces. One necklace had a key charm, while the other had a lock charm. Lily had only thought they were pretty, until had Alice pointed out their meaning.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "He's telling you that you've got the key to his heart."

"Doesn't that seem a little cheesy?" Marlene said, frowning.

"Yes," Lily said. "Definitely cheesy. But incredibly sweet, all the same." She put the lock necklace back in its case, but clasped the key necklace around her neck.

"Tomorrow is it," Alice said, rubbing her hands together excitedly. "Come see us as soon as you find out."

"Alright," Lily said. Her stomach twisted with nerves as she imagined what tomorrow would hold.

. . .

On Christmas morning, Lily woke early and her stomach flipped excitedly. No amount of bad thoughts would be able to taint the excitement of finally discovering who her secret admirer was. When she went out into the common room where her presents were waiting, she saw that James was already up, and had waited for her before opening presents.

"Merry Christmas," he said.

"Merry Christmas," Lily answered. "Have you seen one of those boxes-"

Before she had finished, James picked up a box like the ones she had been receiving and handed it to her. Like the first box, this one had a tag on it. But this time, it had two names on it. _To Lily, from James. _Her conversation with Alice and Marlene returned to her, and somehow she wasn't surprised.

"So it was you," Lily said, looking up from the tag. "Alice suspected."

James smiled. "I'm surprised she didn't know, actually. Frank's not good at keeping secrets from her."

"Frank?" Lily asked, slightly confused.

James nodded. "I had to ask him for a little help, since you ignored me for six years." There was silence, but then he continued, "You liked everything, then?"

"The presents were great," Lily said. "You're pretty good at pretending. You acted surprised when I found the box of chocolates."

James grinned and said, "It would have spoiled all my fun if you had known from the start that it was me."

"I had a feeling, after what Alice and Marlene told me."

"But you didn't know for sure."

"No," Lily agreed. "But I do now."

"And how do you feel about that?" he asked, a little nervously.

"I'm glad." Lily smiled.

"Really?" James looked surprised.

"You've been so different this year, and these presents made me realize that you really do care for me. I used to think that you only liked me because I hated you, and then it seemed like you didn't care anymore. I've never had anyone do something so sweet for me before. It would be hard for me to say that I don't like you after all that. It helps that you're not constantly annoying me like you used to."

"So, to put it briefly, you _do _like me?"

"You're so thick sometimes," she laughed.

James nodded at the box in her hands. "Are you going to open it?"

Lily pulled the lid off the box and pulled out a tiny plant. "Mistletoe?"

"Mistletoe," he echoed. He took the box from her and put it on the couch, then grabbed the mistletoe and raised it above their heads. "You know the rules."

"You're such an idiot," Lily said, rolling her eyes, but she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. This, however, wasn't enough for James. He put his free arm around her waist and pulled her in for a longer one. Lily protested for a moment, but quickly gave up and slipped her arms around his neck. The mistletoe fell to the floor but neither one of them cared. When they broke apart, James grinned. "Merry Christmas, Lily," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Merry Christmas, James."

**A/N: I'm not above begging, soo… Please please please please PLEASE leave me a review and make my day? Please?  
**_**The poem seen here does not belong to me. I suck at poetry, and I borrowed one off the internet.**_


	4. The Best Christmas Present

**The Best Christmas Present**

Lily stared at the potion on the counter, not sure how she was supposed to feel. There were a medley of feelings whirling around in her head, but the most dominant emotion was joy. The second most feeling was terror. She was almost twenty, but it seemed so young. She didn't know if she was ready for this kind of responsibility, but none of those thoughts could put a damper on this. Nothing could convince her that this was a bad thing. True, maybe this was bad timing, but there was nothing to do now but move forward.

How would she tell James?

This was the part Lily was really worried about. They had talked about it before, of course, and she knew that he wanted this as much as she did, but they had always ended the conversation by deciding to wait. She sighed. She would have to tell him now, because he could always tell when she was keeping a secret. She had never been able to hide anything from him.

Lily stood up and grabbed the vial of blue potion. She dumped it into the sink and rinsed away the remnants before tossing the plastic vial into the trash. She paused in front of the bathroom door, her hand hovering over the handle. It was Christmas Eve, and James' reaction was everything. How he felt about this would make or break their holiday.

With a slightly shaky hand and a quick breath, Lily pulled the bathroom door open and went downstairs to the kitchen. James was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a tree-shaped cookie and reading the _Daily Prophet_. As it always did, Lily's heart skipped a beat when she saw her husband. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he truly belonged to her, that he had chosen her out of anyone else. Frankly, it was a little hard to believe that _anyone_ had chosen her out of everyone else. Lily had dated one other boy, for barely a month, during her time at Hogwarts. Otherwise, it was just James.

James glanced up as she came in, smiling crookedly at her. His glasses were sliding off his nose, and despite the stress in his hazel eyes, they were also full of love for her. Lily smiled back even though she was afraid of what would come next. He went back to reading the paper, and Lily silently thanked her lucky stars that he hadn't picked up on her mood yet. She sat down across from him and reached over to take the cookie from him. She took a bite, and then set it down on the plate.

She twisted her hands, waiting, not sure how to bring it up. After a few minutes, James folded up the _Prophet_ and let out a long sigh.

"Anything good in there?" Lily asked, trying to keep her tone light.

"Not much," James answered. "A wedding announcement, and a story about the Ministry Christmas party."

"And the rest?"

"More horror stories. Deaths, disappearances, you name it."

Lily bit her lip. At first she had thought the timing was bad simply because of their age, but now she realized the timing was even worse because of what was going on in the world. How could they possibly do something like this when it was so dangerous for witches and wizards at the moment? Lily blinked a few times, trying to contain the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill over.

James noticed. Occasionally she wished he weren't so perceptive, but he was. Only this time, he was wrong about her tears. He placed his hand over hers. "It's alright, love. It was no one we know. Our families are still safe."

Lily shook her head. "For how long?" she asked, though this hadn't been what she was thinking about at all.

"We'll get through this," James said confidently. He stood abruptly, a smile on his face. "Come on, I know what will make you feel better. I've got a surprise for you."

He headed for the living room, and Lily got up to follow, muttering, "Funny, because I've got one for you too."

James didn't hear her.

In the living room, James directed her to sit on the couch and close her eyes. Feeling confused, Lily did as he said. She settled back on the couch and squeezed her eyes tight. "No peeking!" James insisted, sounding like an excited child.

"I won't," Lily promised.

About a minute later, James placed a box in her lap. "Happy Christmas!"

Lily blinked her eyes open and stared down at the box. "Why did I have to close my eyes for this? It's wrapped."

James shrugged. "It seemed more exciting for you to close your eyes."

Lily laughed.

"Go on, open it!" James said eagerly, a huge smile on his face. "I hope you like it."

Influenced by James' excitement, Lily pulled the ribbon off and tossed it away, and pulled the lid off the box happily. Whatever she might have been expecting, it wasn't this. At the bottom of the box, curled up in the corner, was a scrap of grey and white fur.

"You got me a kitten?" Lily asked, stunned. She had always liked cats, and had taken her cat, Eloise, to Hogwarts with her. Unfortunately, Eloise had been getting old and passed away in Lily's fifth year. She hadn't a pet since, though she often missed having one.

"You keep saying you want to get another cat," James reminded her, smiling softly. "I thought now would be the perfect time."

"It's precious," Lily cooed, reaching into the box. She scooped up the sleeping kitten to get a better look at it. The kitten blinked its eyes open, startled, and began to mewl in protest. Lily pulled the knitted blanket off the back of their couch, folded it up, and set it down beside her. Then she put the kitten on top of it, giving it a quick stroke. "There," she said. "Go back to sleep."

"It's a boy," James informed her. "Do you know what you want to name him?"

Lily had a few ideas, but she wasn't sure yet. "I'll name him soon," she said. "Once I get to know him a little more."

James smiled more widely now. "I'm glad you like him."

"How could I not, when he's from you?"

James looked pleased, and then glanced down at his watch. He cleared his throat. "Well, it's getting to be about time for bed. Do you want to go to sleep now?"

Lily knew exactly what he meant by "go to sleep". Then she remembered what she was supposed to be telling him, what she had briefly forgotten over the excitement of the kitten. Her happiness trickled away, and she turned away from her husband to look at her new kitten instead. The little one had already fallen asleep again, his back rising and falling as he breathed.

"Lily?" James asked, sitting down beside her. He seemed confused, and concerned. "Lilypad, is something wrong?"

Lily was on the verge of tears again. "I wouldn't say it's wrong, exactly," she replied thickly. A few tears escaped, and she shifted her body so that she was facing James again. "I have a surprise for you, too." Then she laughed, a little hysterically.

"What is it?" James asked warily. His wife had never quite acted like this before, and he had no idea what to expect.

"The thing is… I mean, I don't really know how to tell you this. It was a shock to me, really. I'm not sure how you're going to feel about this, and actually I'm a little afraid to tell you-"

"Just spit it out already," James said impatiently, grabbing her hand. "Whatever it is, I can handle it."

Lily gave him a watery smile, and a few more tears trailed down her cheeks. "James, I'm pregnant."

For a second, James' face was blank. He seemed to be processing what she had just said. Then, his eyes widened, and his gaze darted down to her stomach. It was impossible to tell that she was pregnant, but he still stared at her as if he was searching for proof. "Are you serious?" he said, in barely a whisper.

"I'm one-hundred percent serious," Lily answered.

"That's… Lily, that's amazing," James croaked. "I can't… We're… This…"

"We're having a baby," Lily said, laughing and crying at once.

James grabbed her suddenly and kissed her, loving and ecstatic. "I can't believe this. I'm going to be a dad?"

"Of course you are, dummy," Lily said, wiping her cheeks and rolling her eyes. "Who else would he belong to?"

"It's a boy?" James asked, leaning back and looking awed.

Lily nodded. "The potion was blue."

A huge grin spread slowly across James' face. "We're having a boy. This is amazing. This is wonderful. This is absolutely perfect, Lils." He sat up again, and took Lily's hands. "You're going to be the best mum in the world."

"I wish I could say the same for you," Lily teased. Then she added, "We're lucky we have magic. If we were just muggles, we wouldn't know the gender of our baby for months yet."

James frowned. "How do they stand it?"

Lily shrugged. "They don't have any other choice."

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. James broke the silence, asking, "Why were you afraid to tell me?"

"I didn't know what you would think. We're only nineteen, James. We're a little young to be parents, don't you think?"

"No," James scoffed. "We'll make great parents."

Lily shook her head, amused. "I'm glad you're so happy about this."

"It's the best Christmas present you could have ever given me," James assured her. "We'll be naming him James Junior, of course."

"Absolutely not," Lily said. "He needs a name of his own."

James thought about this for a moment. "Sirius Junior?"

"What did I just say?"

"I've got it! We'll name him Edwin."

"That's a horrid name," Lily protested.

"I like it."

"Well I have to like it too. He'll have a name we _both_ like."

James made a face. "We'll never agree on a name."

"I'm sure we'll find something. We do have eight months to decide."

James blinked. "Eight months? I thought this whole pregnancy thing lasted nine months?"

"It does," Lily said. "But I'm already a month along."

"Wait, how long have you known about this?" James demanded.

"Half an hour, maybe?"

"How could you have been pregnant for a month and not have known?"

"Things were pretty hectic last month, in case you don't remember." November had been full of horrible events, resulting in James at the Ministry, as a new auror, late every night, and Lily spending a very busy few weeks at the _Prophet_, where she was usually a part-time editor. They'd had very little time to see one another, and had been exhausted for days. "I didn't even realize I'd skipped my period until I noticed that I skipped this month too."

"Oh."

Lily leaned against James then, and he put his arm around her. "I'm glad that you're glad we're having a baby," she murmured.

"How could I not be? This baby is going to bring us closer than ever," James answered, kissing the top of her head. "We'll always be connected, through him. Nothing can ever separate us now."

"Nothing could ever separate us before," Lily reminded him.

"True." He yawned. "Come on, let's get some sleep now. It's Christmas tomorrow."

"Presents," Lily said, though she didn't feel as excited as she normally did on Christmas. No present could top the fact that they were having a baby.

James stood up, and offered Lily his hand. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. James turned the downstairs lights off with a flick of his wand, and they climbed the stairs together, hand in hand.

"What if we called him Linus?"

"_No_."

"Dalton?"

"James."

"Paris!"

"Stop it."

"Ralph."

"Go to sleep, James."

"Carl?"

"If you don't stop talking in the next five seconds, you will be sleeping on the couch."

"Farley."

Lily groaned, and pressed her pillow against her face. She hoped desperately that this wouldn't go on for another eight months. She closed her eyes, and tried to block out James' stream of name ideas. If she was lucky, she would fall asleep before midnight.

**A/N: And that is how Lily and James ended up with the cat that was in their house the night they died.  
Thoughts? Leave me a review! I'd absolutely love to know what you thought.  
I hope I calculated right. November to July is nine months, right? Very late November to Christmas is about a month, and then Christmas to July 31****st**** is about eight months.**


	5. Blame it on the Candy Canes

**A/N: I know this is pretty late, but I really wanted to finish it and post it. So here it is~ Hope you like it.**

**Blame it on the Candy Canes**

When Lily's parents asked her to come home for the winter holidays, she refused. She couldn't think of anything she'd rather do less than spend time with her sister and new brother-in-law. Her relationship with Petunia had deteriorated so much that she hadn't even been invited to the wedding – not that she cared. She had much more fun getting drunk on Firewhiskey with Potter and Black, and then pretending that none of it had ever happened.

Despite sharing the Head's suite with James Potter, the two of them hardly spoke, so it was with great dismay that Lily discovered James was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, too. He was sitting on the couch in their shared common room when she woke up the first Monday morning of the holidays. She was surprised to see that he was reading a book.

"Morning, Evans," he said, not looking up from his book.

"Potter," she grunted. "What are you doing here?"

"My parents wanted to go on vacation and they didn't want me tagging along. They're celebrating their 25th anniversary."

"They got married on Christmas?" Lily asked, forgetting to make a snide remark about how she couldn't imagine _why_ his parents wouldn't want to take him along on vacation.

"No, they got married on the second," James answered. "They're just celebrating a little late. And since I didn't go home this year, neither did Sirius."

"Lovely," Lily groaned. "Are all four of you here?"

"No," James said, turning a page. "Peter and Remus went home to see their families."

"So the less annoying half of you is gone, and the absolutely irritating half is here to stay and make my holidays miserable?"

"Pretty much," James said, flipping another page. Lily suddenly wondered if he was actually listening to her, which was a real change. Usually she couldn't keep his attention off her for more than a few hours. She decided to consider herself lucky and make an escape while she still could.

Since none of her friends had stayed behind this year for the holiday, Lily would be spending most of her time alone, in the library. It wasn't too different from how she usually spent her time, except that she often shared her study table with Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald. They had offered to stay with her for the holidays, but she had refused. Why should they miss Christmas with their families? They had no reason to.

When first Mary, and then Marlene, invited her to their house for Christmas, Lily refused again. It had been a tempting offer, but in the end she had decided that she'd rather spend her Christmas at Hogwarts if she couldn't go home. It was going to be her last Christmas here anyway. She might as well enjoy the castle while she still could.

By Christmas Eve, Lily was sick of being by herself. She missed being at home, with her parents, snacking on special Christmas treats and waiting for morning so she could open her presents and see how her family liked the presents she picked out for them. It was no wonder she was grumpy by the time evening rolled around. She had been moping on the couch for just over ten minutes when the door to the Head's common room opened and James strolled in. He was followed by a girl Lily had never seen before.

"Evans," James said, nodding his head in her direction as he plopped down on the armchair in the corner.

Lily eyed the girl suspiciously. "Please tell me I'm not going to have to watch the two of you go at it all night."

"No one said you had to stay," James replied lightly. Lily glared at him, and he laughed. "Relax, Evans. She's here for Sirius."

"So she has even worse taste than I thought," Lily snorted.

James put a hand to his heart. "I'm flattered that you think I'm a better choice than Sirius is."

"Not by much," Lily warned. She eyed the girl, who had crossed her arms and sighed huffily at Lily's words. She had glossy black hair that fell to her mid-back, but other than that the girl really wasn't very pretty. At least, not in Lily's opinion. She had narrow, hazel eyes that were just a little too far apart, a nose that was certainly larger than Sirius' standard, and she was so caked in makeup that Lily was sure she'd never recognize the girl without it. She did, however, have a generous amount of chest, which Lily knew immediately was the reason Sirius had chosen this particular girl.

"I'm sorry," Lily felt the need to say. "But doing _anything_ with Sirius Black is a stupid idea."

The girl continued to glare. "You're just jealous because he didn't pick you."

Lily laughed, loud and incredulous. "Trust me, I would rather die than have to _ever _touch him."

"Hey, watch it. That's my best mate you're talking about," James said.

Lily shrugged. "Sorry, but it's not my fault you're best friends with a playboy."

James opened his mouth, possibly to protest that his friend was not a playboy, but then shut it again without saying anything. A few seconds later, his tone changed. "We're just here to celebrate Christmas Eve," he promised. "You can join us if you want."

"And by celebrate you mean…"

James held up a bottle of Firewhiskey, which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It was exactly what Lily expected of him. She had been wondering, ever since the night of her sister's wedding, exactly how often James got drunk. The way she was feeling right now, Lily was tempted to crack open a bottle for herself. However, she was also hesitant. She vaguely remembered the last time she had gotten drunk with James, when she had burst into tears and become an absolute mess.

"Come on, Evans," James said, waving the bottle at her. "Have some fun."

Against her better judgment, Lily agreed. She was tired of being alone. "Alright," she said. Seconds later, the door opened again and Sirius strolled in, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"I'm ready," he announced. Then he caught sight of Lily and frowned in distaste. "You're not hanging around, are you?" he asked rudely.

"As a matter of fact, I am," Lily replied in a tone that matched.

The dark-haired girl, whose name Lily wasn't sure of, sidled up to him and put both of her arms around his chest. "Just ignore her," she said soothingly. "She doesn't have to ruin our fun."

Without a word, Lily stood up and stormed into her room. She made sure not to let the door slam, but it shut with a satisfying snap that was almost as good. A split second later, Lily realized that she had done the wrong thing. She was too prideful to let anyone think they had gotten the best of her, especially Sirius Black and some girl she didn't even know.

Not sure what to do, Lily fiddled with the buttons on her shirt for a few seconds, before turning on her heel and entering the common room again. Sirius and the girl had lost no time in claiming the couch for themselves. They looked up in surprise when Lily came back, but Lily ignored them. She perched herself awkwardly on the arm of James' chair, who gave her a questioning look.

"I just needed to get… something," she said lamely. She could tell that James didn't believe her, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he wordlessly handed her a bottle of Firewhiskey. He also had a box of candy canes on his lap.

"Want one?" he asked, holding the box out to her. They were small, bite-sized, and smelled deliciously of peppermint. Lily took one and popped it into her mouth, crunching down on it without hesitation. She was surprised when a strange, but pleasant, flavor filled her mouth. There was peppermint, of course, and also a sticky syrup that tasted similar to Firewhiskey.

"What's in it?" she asked, reaching immediately for another one.

"It's cognac crème," James answered.

"It's really good," Lily enthused, reaching for a third.

Over the next hour, as Lily crunched her way through the box of candy canes and downed an entire bottle of Firewhiskey, she became increasingly loose and giggly. Somehow, she had fallen off the arm of the chair and into James' lap, where she opened another bottle of Firewhiskey and began to suck it down, enjoying the hot, burning sensation that filled her stomach.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew this was weird. Usually, she made it a point to stay at least three feet away from James at all times, but now, with their faces just centimeters apart, she was surprised to find that she didn't mind. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was drunk.

The two of them hardly noticed when Sirius and his date got up and stumbled into James' room, barely managing to close the door behind them. Lily giggled and nearly fell off the chair. "Doesn't it bother you that they're using your room?"

James shrugged. "I'm used to it by now."

"But where will you sleep?" Lily asked in an exaggerated whisper.

"On the couch," James said, like it was no big deal.

"But it's Christmas," Lily said, indignant.

"Yeah, but I don't want to ruin _his _Christmas," James answered, inclining his head towards his room.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, and then burst into laughter. This time, Lily did fall off the chair. She lay on the floor, laughing so much that her stomach muscles were beginning to get sore. Last time she got drunk, she'd spent most of the night crying. This time, she couldn't stop laughing. When she finally managed to stop, she sat up and took a deep breath.

"You have absolutely no inhibitions tonight, do you?" James asked.

In response, Lily took another swig of Firewhiskey.

Neither one of them was really sure how they ended up on the couch together, so intertwined, so very close together. And neither of them really knew for sure how the kissing started, though James was of the opinion that it was a complete accident. Lily attempted to adjust herself, but had a complete lack of control over herself and slipped, landing awkwardly on top of him. Their lips happened to brush, and thus began the kissing.

They were light, tentative, and shy at first. They seemed to shift automatically into a more comfortable arrangement. James placed his hands carefully on Lily's waist, holding her against his chest. This was a much more pleasant Christmas Eve than the one he had been imagining.

They carried on like this for a couple of minutes, until James realized through his drunken stupor that he was kissing _Lily Evans_. The girl he had dreamed of kissing since the day he met her. Granted, that particular dream had changed as he grew older, from a simple peck on the cheek while they held hands to a full blown make-out session that ended in various ways.

Adrenaline pulsed through him, and he sat up abruptly, taking a second to stare at Lily. She looked vaguely confused, but before she could say or do anything, James was kissing her again. It was different now, intense and passionate and full of tongue. Lily twisted her fingers in his hair and let out a small moan. Encouraged, James slipped his hands under her shirt, rubbing the smooth, soft skin of her back. They seemed to fit together just perfectly.

Feeling bold, James moved his hands to the front of her shirt and started undoing the buttons. She made no move to stop him, and he slipped the shirt off her shoulders. James had both seen and touched his fair share of bras, and although Lily's was just plain white, there was something different about it. His fingers glided over the smooth, silk-like fabric as Lily knotted her hands in his shirt and dragged him closer.

They kept at it for a while longer, until James started to feel some reservations. He wasn't nearly as drunk as Lily was, and there was a tiny voice in the back of his head telling him that if he ever wanted this to happen again, he needed to end it for now. It would be wrong to take advantage of her state of mind any more than he already had. He detangled himself from Lily, breathing heavily. She leaned towards him again, her eyes half closed, but James pushed her gently away.

"I think you should go to bed," he told her.

"I don't want to go to bed," Lily giggled.

James adjusted his glasses, debating what to do. "Lily, you should really go to bed before you do something you regret."

"But I'm having fun," Lily whined.

James felt a brief rush of elation. He liked this drunk Lily, who actually enjoyed his company. He pushed the feeling away and focused on his desire to be a friend to Lily, and not some guy that would grope her when she couldn't say no. He didn't bother trying to convince her anymore. Instead, he closed the distance between them, scooped her up, and carried her into her bedroom.

"Hey!" she protested. "Put me down."

"Okay," James replied, dropping her on her bed.

"That's not what I meant," she slurred.

"Go to sleep, Evans," James said, backing away.

"Don't tell me what to do," Lily said grumpily, crawling over to her pillows. She struggled for a few seconds to pull her blanket out from under her, before James took pity on her and went over to help. He yanked the blankets out from under her, and then covered her with her comforter. Lily dropped her head against her pillow, and within seconds she was asleep, snoring very faintly.

James watched her for a moment, wishing he had the ability to fall asleep so easily. Then he backed out of the room, shutting her door behind her. He made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch, and stared at the still-roaring fire until he fell asleep.

In the morning, James woke up when some sat down on his shins. He blinked sleepily and reached for his glasses, trying to ignore his pounding headache. When he put them on, the blurry, shadowy shape by his feet turned into Lily. Sometime in the night, she must have changed into her red, fuzzy pajamas. "Happy Christmas," he said, sitting up and pulling his legs out from under her.

"Happy Christmas," Lily answered. "Look, about last night…"

"Ah, so you _do _remember what happened."

"Of course I remember," Lily said. "I wasn't _that_ drunk."

"Yeah," James said, "You were."

Lily scowled at him and stood up. She took a few steps back, putting more distance between them. "Shut up a minute, would you? I'm trying to say something."

James held his hands up. "Go ahead."

Lily opened her mouth, and then closed it again. "This… This is going to sound really stupid," she said. "I can't believe this is about to come out of my mouth."

"Just spit it out already," James said curiously.

"As much as it kills me to admit this," Lily started again, "I need you to do me a favor."

"And what favor would that be, Miss Evans?" James asked with mock politeness. Despite all that had happened between them last night, he couldn't resist the chance to ruffle her feathers.

"I need you to kiss me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

James wasn't sure he heard her right. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm not repeating myself," Lily snapped. Then she appeared to remember that she wanted something from him, and knew that yelling at him wouldn't get her what she wanted.

"You want _me_ to kiss you?" James asked, incredulous. "I thought I was the last person you wanted touching you."

"Except when I'm drunk, apparently." She hesitated, then added, "Look, last night was strangely pleasant. So now I need to know if it was the alcohol that made me feel that way."

James watched her a few moments. "This will drive you crazy if you don't get an answer, won't it? It'll eat away at your sanity until all you can think about is me."

Lily scowled again. "I can still change my mind."

"But you won't," James grinned. He patted the seat next to him. "Come here, and let's get your experiment over with."

Lily bit her lip, but didn't move. She looked down at her feet, and her fiery hair fell in her face. It was just then that James realized how embarrassed she must be by this whole thing, and she might even feel rejected. Here she was, offering herself up to him, and he was laughing at her. For the first time, he understood why she thought he was such a jerk.

"Hey," he said, his voice softer. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. Obviously I want to kiss you. You were there last night, right?"

Lily cracked a smile.

James got to his feet and approached her slowly. He put his hands on her bare arms and stroked them lightly. "You're sure you want to do this?"

Lily nodded. James moved his hands, placing them on her hips and pulled her a little closer. Her face was flushed and she wasn't anywhere near as willing as she had been the night before, but she wasn't resisting him either. Lily held her own hands against her chest, as if to brace herself.

He pressed his lips to hers as carefully as he could, doing his best to control his desire to lock his arms around her and never let her go. While James managed to keep himself under control, though, Lily did not. As soon as their lips touched, she seemed to come to life. She hooked her fingers through the belt loops on his jeans and yanked him toward her. Her teeth grazed across his bottom lip and her hands slid up his chest, over his shoulders, and into his hair.

James couldn't help but laugh. Lily broke the kiss and yanked away from him, her face the same shade of red as her hair. "What?" she demanded.

"You just can't keep your hands off me, can you?" James grinned.

Lily turned away to storm into her room, but James expected that. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. He rested his forehead against hers and kissed her easily, wrapping an arm around her waist. "But if it makes you feel better, I can't keep my hands off you, either."

Lily glared at him. "You're so full of yourself."

"Come on, admit it," James said. "You like kissing me."

Lily seemed to be trying very hard to keep her facial expression neutral, but she failed. A smile spread across her face, finally, and she nodded once. "Okay, you're right. This is nice."

"So what are you going to tell your friends when they ask you why you're making out with me?" James teased.

"That's easy," Lily said, flashing a brighter smile. "I'll just blame it on the candy canes."


End file.
